5 Games to Look Forward to Towards the End of 2017

With a little less than four months to go, 2017 is almost on the way out. We've been treated to titles great titles like Yakuza 0, Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Blaster Master Zero, and Sonic Mania to name a few. It has been a fantastic year for gaming. But just because 2017 is nearly over doesn't mean we've seen every worthwhile game the year has to offer. There are plenty of titles coming out as 2017 draws to a close but these are five that really stand out to me.

01. Cuphead (XBO, PC)

I'm a sucker for games with a unique visual style. In a sea of games with gorgeous sprites, cel-shading and other jaw droppingly beautiful games, Cuphead still manages to stand out from the crowd. You've probably heard the phrase about how some games look like "a cartoon brought to life." Well, Cuphead is quite possibly the most cartoonish looking game on the planet, looking like old theatrical shorts. It's as if someone removed Mickey Mouse's head, replaced it with a cup, gave him a firearm and tossed him into an even more chaotic environment where everything wants to kill him. This old-school run and gun game is similar to Metal Slug but on a major acid trip. With that in mind, Cuphead is not for the gamer looking for a Sunday stroll. Those that don't mind a game that routinely kicks their teeth in will keep coming back for more. Shown off a few years ago, Cuphead will finally be releasing on September 29th.

02. Sonic Forces (XBO, PS4, NS, PC)

I love Sonic Mania but all this talk that it's "the first good Sonic game since 1994" is pure bull. There have been plenty of good Sonic games following the release of Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Two of the best ones were Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, released in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Sonic Forces has not only been in development for three years, the longest period for any Sonic game, but it is also being made by the same team that handled Colors and Generations. Forces will pit Modern Sonic, Classic Sonic and a custom character up against Eggman, the new baddie Infinite and slew of other bad news from Sonic's past in what is looking to be, story wise, a much darker Sonic game. For those that love the insane high speed thrills of Modern Sonic, the boost gameplay is making a return. 2D fans can get their fix with Classic Sonic's stages and there's also tag team stages, which pairs your avatar character with Modern Sonic. Sonic Forces' stages look fast and fun, the game looks amazing and from the music released so far, the soundtrack is sure to be another winner. Throw in a $40 price tag and you've got another Sonic game to be excited about. You can join the resistance on November 7th.

03. Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)

There have been numerous fan remakes of Metroid II: Return of Samus over the years, but at long last, Nintendo is finally giving us an official remake of the game in the form of Metroid: Samus Returns. Not just Metroid II with a new coat of paint, Samus Returns will give Samus new abilities, new areas to explore and as well as a bit more story details that you won't have to look into a manual to explore, though the story of the game is as simple as it gets: Samus commits genocide to the Metroid species. One of the coolest things about the original Metroid II was that you had a set number of Metroids to hunt down. These weren't your garden variety extra terrestrials as each one you hunt down gets more violent and savage than the last and I cannot wait to see how the remake approaches every encounters with these nasty critters. Strap on your power suit and get ready for plenty of exploration and action this Friday when Metroid: Samus Returns hatches.

04. Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (PS4, Vita, PC)

For those not in the know, the Danganronpa games are a series of visual novel murder mystery titles in a high school setting with very heavy anime influences. The game is split into two different types of play, school life and class trial. In school life you move around the school and advance the plot and learn more about your classmates. In class trial, the students openly discuss who the murderer could be. It is on you to look for inconsistencies with character's stories to piece together who the culprit is. It isn't a standard trial, however, as you'll use truth bullets to shoot down false statements and timed button presses to unlock the truth. New to Danganronpa V3 includes mass panic debate, in which finding the correct statement is tougher because characters talk over each other along with some new mini games to find the truth. You can get in on the anime style murder mystery on September 26th.


05. Super Mario Odyssey (NS)

In 2017 alone Nintendo has already launched some pretty heavy hitters for the Switch. Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2,  ARMS among them. And the Big N still isn't finished. Next month will mark the glorious return to sand box style Mario gameplay with Super Mario Odyssey. Mario is off on his biggest adventure yet, to stop the wedding of Bowser and Princess Peach. Joining him is his newest ally Capy, a sentient hat that when thrown, can give Mario the power to posses just about anything. You can take control of the citizens of New Donk City, a taxi and numerous enemies. You can even be a freaking T-rex! This is the kinda games that looks like it is dripping, gushing with fun all over and I am salivating to get my grubby, long fingered hands on it. Mark your calendars for October 27th, the day where we can at long last do the odyssey.